No alarm, but… unwelcome covid in august

by Franco Ferroli

Premise necessary to avoid misunderstanding: no alarm. But the fact is that due to the continuous and multiple differences, new cases of Covid virus are increasing under the umbrella of the month of August. In fact, in the week from July 28 to August 3, 111 new infections were recorded across all parades, out of a total of 875 swabs processed (12.6% of the total). The infection rate was 7.38 out of 100,000 people, and only 4 were hospitalized, all of them in non-intensive wards, and 161 were “in quarantine.” However, on August 17, the infection rate rose to more than 10 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, jumping to 22.74 on August 24: still low, mind you, but with a value more than three times what was recorded at the beginning of the month. . Not only. The latest bulletin from the Marche Epidemiological Observatory also notes that the number of patients in hospital has risen to 26 (more than six times what it was on August 3), one of them in intensive care, a situation that is no longer seen at different times. In August, throughout the region, the number of infections was 661: in July there were 354 and in June 533. In short, Covid-19 is still among us, even if it is no longer so scary. However, the health authorities are monitoring the situation in order not to leave anything unturned: summer, due to the increase in contacts, encourages infections, but it is also the season with the least favorable conditions for the spread of the virus, given that more time is spent outdoors than indoors. And it is not surprising that, given the coming fall, we are already preparing to better manage every possible situation. Not only will vaccination against seasonal influenza begin at the beginning of October, but – at the same time – vaccination against Covid-19 is also recommended, naturally ‘updated’ with respect to variants, and not only for so-called fragile subjects, but for all people over 60. years. In short, it is about not underestimating the context which, in any case, can lead to difficulties, in working on the prevention front. The fact that Covid is still with us, even in the blue month of August, says a lot about the complexity of “kicking out” or wiping out these viruses once they have arrived and spread. Another reason to preserve those virtuous behaviors that the pandemic helped develop, starting with frequent and thorough hand washing.